Basketball 20-21 roster

[sWiley]

Looks very promising. Would be nice if we could find our "Big 3" next year that we always seemed to have under Kermit (along with a slew of talented role players that could individually go off on any given night).

Guards - Sims, C.J. Jones, Jalen Jordan, Jordan Davis, Jayce Johnson, Eli Lawrence, Crump

Sims at PG, great facilitator, can have good spots in O. Needs to improve defense, but overall a solid PG. Should hopefully provide a steady senior hand.
CJ Jones - Great all around player and a lethal shooter. Need him to become a dependable 15+ every night and be born into the star he is destined to be.
Jalen Jordan & Jordan Davis - Largely unproven, but very impressive numbers at their previous stops. With a year in the system and even more maturity under their belt, I expect a lot from these 2. Jalen Jordan was an absolute sharp shooter and becoming an offensive juggernaut at St. Francis BK. If that can translate to CUSA he will be special.
Jayce Johnson - Solid overall player. Dependable defense and 10 points a night. I worry that might be his ceiling but we'll see.
Eli Lawrence & Crump - Both largely unproven, wouldn't surprise to see one or both transfer. Probably Crump unless they really come on at the end of this year.

Forwards - Dishman, Millner, Jackson, Millin, Fussell

Dishman - Will he get a medical year for this injury? Very curious how many more years we'll have him for. Heard good things about him from practice, but still largely unproven. Wait and see here
Millner - Decent player, can give us some minutes, provide depth, great to have in practice etc.
Jackson - Developing into an all-conference type player. So exciting to have him here and watch him develop. Has the potential to really be something special in CUSA. Must get better on D and limit fouls so he can stay on floor.
Millin - No idea really. Wait and see
Fussell - Lots of hype, lots of potential. Can't wait to get him on campus. I hope he is good enough to just play as a true freshman. Have to think he was promised that and we see him on the floor.

From a recruiting needs standpoint, I think we'll be OK at Guard. Could use one more big time Forward (Ya hear Donte Houston Jr....??) and a big time transfer from somewhere to go with Houston Jr. or a talented young guard would be fantastic.

Will be interesting to see if anyone transfers out (have a hard time seeing Crump stick around unless the staff really believes in him), hopefully we can avoid major injuries. Roster looks awful with what we have available here in 19-20 with a short bench and limited talent on the floor, but 20-21 could realistically be when we turn the corner. It certainly should be. There is no reason we shouldn't win 20+ games in 20-21. The roster is set up to be pretty strong in Year 3 with CNM and moving onto Year 4. Very anxious to see what he can do. Hope we spend 19-20 season just developing for next year.

 

[dukewayne]

I respect and appreciate your effort and willingness to express some optimism for the team even though an ugly losing streak makes it fairly difficult.

Overall, I see reason for optimism with the roster of players. While it's still relatively early in CNM's tenure in recruiting, I'm fairly impressed with CNM's recruiting abilities and choices. This season is still young so a lot could change with what we even know at this point. That change could be in either direction to boot. As I've repeatedly posted around here, I'm willing to give him some time for a chance to coach up and develop the players and team as a whole. I'm willing and hopeful that CNM can grow and improve in his coaching style and system for both offense and defense. Of course that is assuming that maximum effort is given each time they play (and practice). Effort is a must and is non-negotiable, and it seems CNM and the players are admitting that they must give max effort.

A few thoughts regarding your input on the roster:

Jordan Davis, the Dayton transfer, I'm of the opinion that he has reasonably proven himself by his playing time and reasonable production at a high quality program in Dayton. Jalen Jordan is a little more unproven in my opinion. Apparently he could do some big scoring, but was it at a level of competition that he will experience at MT? He just seems like more of an unknown until he's actually playing and proving it on the court for MT. It will be interesting to see what he can do. It's possible he could add some really good depth to the guards next season.

I think CJ Jones is already showing himself to be a consistent and excellent performer. To me, his seeming inconsistency is more a manifestation of a struggling team around him than it is his consistency level. For instance, Green's slump from hell is also allowing opponents to more intensely focus their defense on CJ Jones. When Green gets back on track, it stands to reason that it will really help open things back up more for CJ Jones. In my opinion, CJ Jones is the most complete player on the team right now.

Speaking of Green, his shot selection currently sucks! Apparently CNM trusts and encourages him to just keep on shooting until it sorts out. I don't think that is the answer at this point. Green about seems to be forcing his shot now. Throwing up 3s without running good offense is hurting the team. These multitudinous missed 3s are giving up long rebounds to opponents who can then get out and run, and it is not forcing opponents to expend energy and fouls defending MT's offense. Green needs better shot selection and even closer shots to build back his confidence.

I would be really surprised if Crump were to transfer. I don't think he is going anywhere. CNM seems really high on Crump even though Crump doesn't have the stats to go with his minutes. Crump is in the midst of literally physically growing into a Forward. Unfortunately for Crump, he hasn't caught up to his growing body. He is still growing, and will likely be 6-9 by next season. He would still need to catch up with his growth with body mass and strength. On top of all of that, he is having to learn the Forward position for the first time. Meanwhile, CNM is still asking him to help as a guard at times. In defense of CNM, I think he is well aware that Crump has all these challenges while still trying to learn to play as a Freshman. Presently, I'm leaning in CNM direction in thinking that Crump has tremendous upside. It just might be his Junior year before we really start to see it.

I think most everyone is starting to see the potential of Tyson Jackson. CNM hit it out of the park in recruiting Tyson Jackson. Nuff said.

Eli Lawrence. I like what I see with him. I think he is still growing into his body size. I like his effort and gusto. He is still pretty raw, but I think he has a bright future. I also think he stays a Blue Raider. Apparently Tyson Jackson and Lawrence are both longtime childhood friends. That is likely a big factor in them staying together on the same team.

Millin. He has shown some flashes. He is likely just raw and in need of growth, experience, and development. I suspect that he might have been a good candidate for a redshirt if the frontcourt wasn't decimated by injuries. Give him some time and he'll likely show himself to be a pretty good player.

Sims is going to get back on track. He has hit a rough patch, but I fully expect he will be fine. I really like Sims.

 

[dukewayne]

Jayce Johnson, how could I forget Jayce Johnson? I don't think he has even gotten close to hitting his ceiling. I imagine I'm not the only big fan of Jayce Johnson. His effort and toughness is great to watch. To top it off, he has a fearlessness to go with that toughness. I think we are just starting to see what he is capable of. Most everything from him to this point has been based on his effort and toughness. He is now learning to score, and he is learning to play in the paint with Tyson Jackson. More accurately, he and Tyson Jackson are both learning to play together to help each other score and that with some good interior passing.

I also suspect he will improve his outside shot will add another whole dimension to his game. It will take him some time to learn and develop to put all of it together, but by this time his Junior year and as a Senior he will be a terror to other teams. I think he has all-conference type of potential.